Saudi Arabia Struggles to Join the 20th Century — Or Maybe the 18th

The Philippines has rejected an appeal from Saudi Arabia to cut by half a minimum-wage requirement for Filipino maids working in Saudi Arabia and will not be sending new domestic helpers until the dispute is resolved. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Friday that the Saudi government wanted the minimum monthly salary for Filipino maids lowered to $200 from $400.

One Response to Saudi Arabia Struggles to Join the 20th Century — Or Maybe the 18th

The sad part is that the outcome of the case makes no real difference. Her male relatives will simply kill her if she doesn’t comply. Family honor trumps all in the Arab world.

I remember back before GWB started a couple of wars in the muslim world when concerned liberals used to pass around petitions about the mistreatment of muslim women. Oddly, when the narrative became “feel sorry for these poor oppressed victims of our imperialist rage for oil,” the fact matters little that the muslim world has for centuries been enslaving people, inhumanely treating anyone who disagrees with their worldview, and treating their women like dogs – while American Islamic scholars “explain” to all of us how it’s really just treating them special, because Islam loves and respects women soooo much… (an apparently serious argument that I’ve seen made numerous times)

If course now that the Barach of Obama has gotten all confused and mired himself in his own little war, while simultaniously patting Hamas on the back, it’s all gotten very confusing for the ephemerally indignant.